asia news

  • Business News

    Rice prices boil over, stirring inflation concerns for Asian central banks

    Central banks across Asia are bracing themselves for the challenge of curbing inflation amid soaring food prices, particularly rice, a dietary staple in the region. The cost of rice surged to its highest since 2008, sparking concern among economists at HSBC Holdings Plc. Frederic Neumann, leading a team of economists at HSBC, referred to the significant impact of the 2008…

  • World News

    Malaysian family forgets freshman son at rest stop en route to university

    A Malaysian family caught major attention online after a humorous mishap. The family forgot their freshman son at a rest stop on the way to his university in the state of Kedah. The story quickly went viral, reported Sanook. The amusing incident was shared on TikTok by Mohammad Khairul Azmi Ghazali, the older brother of the freshman who was left…

  • World News

    Japanese PM eats Fukushima fish amid radioactive waste fears

    Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida yesterday was seen eating raw fish from Fukushima prefecture in a video released by the Japanese government. The fish was sourced from the northeastern region of the country, notorious for the release of radioactive waste from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In the clip, Kishida can be seen enjoying the meal in his office,…

  • Business News

    Keppel Corp announces major restructuring and growth plans

    Singapore‘s Keppel Corp, a former conglomerate with operations in a variety of sectors including data centres and renewable energy assets, unveiled a significant corporate restructuring plan today. The reorganisation will see the company divided into three distinct units – fund management, investment, and operating platforms, aiming to simplify and foster growth. The fund management arm will concentrate on raising funds,…

  • World News

    Former South Korean navy member under fire for fighting in Ukraine

    A former South Korean navy member who fought in Ukraine hasn’t received a warm welcome upon returning home to recover from injuries. The man, Rhee Keun, said that about 10 police officers were waiting for him as he stepped off the plane today. The officers told him to quarantine for a week as a Covid-19 precaution, and said they would…

  • World News

    Japan government says masks not needed outside if you don’t talk too much

    Japan’s government is saying it’s not necessary for people to wear masks outside, as long as they aren’t talking to others a lot. On Friday, Health Labor and Welfare Minister Shigeyuki Goto, said that even indoors, masks aren’t necessary if people are not talking a lot, and they can properly socially distance. The recent change to the Japanese government’s position…

  • Video

    Welcome to Thailand’s Endemic Sandbox | GMT

    The Bikini Beach Race to take place in Pattaya this October. An endemic Sandbox has been proposed where nightspots and entertainment would re-open. Thailand is open for business as per the PM. All this and more on todays Good Morning Thailand.

  • Video

    Getting Ready to Open Thailand Night Life | GMT

    A tropical cyclone, Thailand getting ready to open its night life, fortune telling tarantulas and prioritising the public needs. All this and more on todays Good Morning Thailand.

  • Thailand News

    Thai Minister wants to ban Facebook, Youtube and Twitter | GMT

    the Minister of Digital Economy and Society, has asked the court to ban access to 42 websites including YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook. Thailand government will most likely keep the diesel cap. Phuket eyes 1m arrivals in Q4. Airport mishaps and crazy cults in Thailand. All this and more on todays Good Morining Thailand.

  • Video

    Thailand News Update | Tourism Tax for Foreigners pushed back

    Thailand’s PM has pushed back the introduction of a 300 baht ‘entry fee’ for international tourists arriving in the kingdom. Since Test & Go, Sandbox and other entry restrictions were dropped on May 1, Thailand has experienced a surge in international arrivals. If tourism levels continue to climb and significantly improve national income this year, it might not be necessary…

  • Video

    Thailand News Update | Thailand ready for an Influx of tourists

    Thailand slid into 8th place in a survey of 1 thousand 500 Americans on the world’s safest travel destinations but is still in the world’s top 10. Canada snagged the winning spot during this survey in 1st place, followed by Iceland, Sweden, Japan, Ireland, Switzerland, South Korea, Thailand, New Zealand and Australia. Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha has welcomed the ranking,…

  • Video

    Thailand News Update | Thailand Pass Updates & Costs increase in Thailand

    The updated Thailand Pass online registration system is now accepting applications for the new test-free entry. It opened just after midnight, today. From 1st May 2022, travellers arriving in Thailand by air will be subject to much-simplified entry measures… Fully Vaccinated Travellers only need to upload the following documents: A Passport Certificate of vaccination And Proof of insurance , now…

  • Video

    Thailand News Update | Trucker protests return & Thailand Pass to End?

    The cancellation of Thailand Pass registration could take place as early as June 1, according to the Tourism and Sports Ministry. With Thailand Pass gone tourists would go back to using their TM6 immigration arrival forms for vaccine declaration. Earlier projected dates of July 1 to drop the much-debated Thailand Pass could happen a month earlier if the CCSA accept…

  • Video

    Thailand News Update | Prices for EVERYTHING set to rise in Thailand

    The days of cheap diesel in Thailand are over with the government scrapping its subsidy to maintain the 30 baht cap on diesel fuel. The governments says that without the subsidy the real diesel prices in Thailand would be around 40 baht a litre. The government is appealing for understanding over the decision as they scramble for an alternative solution…

  • Video

    Thailand News Update | Thailand tourism to increase after May 1st

    Nearly a hundred Patong bar owners and staff gathered at Patong Bay Hill Resort in Phuket to protest the recent “extension” of official alcohol sales to midnight. The group says the operating hours of the entertainment zone in Phuket and Pattaya shouldn’t just officially be extended to midnight, but to 4 am. They also demanded the government stop calling them “restaurants”… under…

  • Video

    Thailand News Update | Pattaya officials concerned about ‘Happy water’ in Pattaya

    Last month, Thailand’s exports surged at an unexpectedly high rate, jumping by 19.5 percent when compared to the same time last year. Gold exports in March were 11 times HIGHER than last year, while shipments of hard disk drives rose 68 percent year-on-year. Passenger car exports increased 14 percent. Another product in Thailand, mango, also saw a surge in exports…

  • World News

    Hong Kong to let in non-residents starting May 1, but with quarantine

    After lifting suspensions on flights from 9 overseas locations on April 1, Hong Kong now plans to let in non-residents from all countries starting May 1. In the past month, average daily arrivals have risen in the territory to about 1,200 from a meagre 300, according to the Hong Kong government’s Covid website. The ban on non-residents has been in…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | New North Korean test on the way & META blocks Filipino election account

    Human Rights Watch has accused Australia’s ambassador to Myanmar of “lending credibility” to Myanmar’s military government. HRW’s criticism came after the ambassador met with the Burmese military chief and Myanmar’s state-owned media outlets on Wednesday to discuss “cooperation” in various sectors.HRW Myanmar researcher Manny Maung says the meeting has hurt global efforts to hold the chief accountable for human rights…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | A Malaysian Boeing 737 ‘dives’ in a terrifying mid-air incident

    Another mid-air incident in Asia after a Malaysia Airlines flight from KL to Sabah on Borneo dipped its nose and dropped suddenly, allegedly flying erratically before turning back to Sabah. The incident happened on Sunday but has only come to light after passengers posted their stories on social media. The airline says that Flight MH2664 from KLIA turned back due…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | Growth in Asia expected to be on track in 2022

    Police raided a house in the northern province of Chiang Rai yesterday to find 71 Burmese migrants hiding inside. A Thai man who was also inside the house told police he was hired to pick up the migrants who had illegally crossed over the border from Myanmar and transport them to the house. The migrants told police they were heading…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | South Korea Committed To Re-opening Plans

    China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi is urging the Philippine government to steer clear of external “disturbances” to its China policy and work to prevent tension arising from their South China Sea dispute The issue of China’s claims over the island’s in the South China Sea has become one of the issues in the run-up to the Philippine presidential election next…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | China under lockdown & South Korea upholds ban on tattooing

    Tens of millions of people in China are under lockdown, including in the largest city Shanghai. Thailand’s infection numbers continue to creep up, already much higher than at their peak last year. Hong Kong morgues are overwhelmed and patients are being turned away from hospitals. In South Korea, health authorities are reporting the most cases per capita in the world.…

  • Video

    Asia News Today | The US “must stay engaged in Asia-Pacific”, China plane crash report ready in 20 days

    China has finished the main recovery work at the site of a China Eastern Airlines crash 10 days ago and plans have a preliminary report ready within 30 days of the incident. A final report into the crash of the Boeing 737-800 model will be completed and made public after the investigation is concluded. The plane plummeted nose-first into a…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | Japanese yen drops to a seven year low

    Nearly 9,000 soldiers from the Philippines and US are participating in the largest-ever joint military drills as the two longtime allies do some high-level sabre-rattling amid fresh tensions in the disputed South China Sea. Filipino and American soldiers will take part in the 12 day military exercises across the main Filipino island of Luzon. Philippine military chief welcomed soldiers from…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | Both black boxes now found on China plane & lockdown in Shanghai

    The latest from the crash site of the Boeing 737 in southern China, more threats from the Burmese Junta, one of the largest cities in the world heads into a Covid lockdown and vanishing glaciers in Indonesia, yes Indonesia.   Recovery crews at the site of the China Eastern Boeing 737 that crashed last Monday, have found the second black…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | Tourists found dead in Philippines & China-Laos railway

    The crash of the Boeing 737-800 passenger plane in China’s southwest ignited a fire big enough to be seen from space. Rescuers continue today to cold through the wreckage on the rugged, remote mountainside, just outside the city of Wuzhou. Investigators admit that just two days following the crash, there appears more questions than answers. Rescue workers have resorted to…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | China plane crash latest & HK looking to relax restrictions

    Investigators are now trying to piece together the final moments of a Boeing 737 flight in southern China yesterday before it plummeted into a hilly area as it was approaching Guangzhou. The China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737 jet, flight MU5735, carrying 132 people crashed in Wuzhou. The sudden nosedive of the plane has left aircraft accident specialists baffled as authorities…

  • World News

    Asia News Today | More North Korea missiles, ‘genocide’ in Myanmar

    North Korea has conducted another missile launch, this time using a multiple rocket launch system, the latest in a busy time for North Korean missile testers. The statement from the South Korean military didn’t specify how far the rocket got, the direction it was fired, or the exact type of rockets or weapons launched, but said they’re constantly monitoring the…

  • World News

    Asia News Today | North Korea missile fail, Japan seeks to stop crypto payments to Russians

    https://youtu.be/9KWCYD7RofY Japanese authorities are ordering crypto exchanges not to process transactions involving any crypto assets as it maintains a stringent asset-freeze against Russia over their invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine. The G7 announced on Friday that Western nations “will impose costs on illicit Russian actors using digital assets to enhance and transfer their wealth.”There are growing concerns that cryptocurrencies…

  • Video

    Asia News Today | China locks down 17 million, earthquake in Indonesia

    Families of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea are calling on an early meeting of leaders from the two countries to retrieve their relatives. They are pushing on the Japanese government to approach North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to swiftly resolve the issue of abductions… this comes from the Association of Families of Victims Kidnapped by North Korea.The association…

  • World News

    Asia News Today | HK has worst Covid death rate in the world, new South Korean President

    South Korea has a new President today after a nail-biting and often nasty campaign. Conservative Yoon Suk Yeol will be South Korea’s new president after Lee Jae-myung, from the ruling Democratic Party, conceded defeat last night. The opposition leader won 48.56% of the ballot, ahead of Lee’s 47.83%.Incumbent President Moon Jae-in was not permitted to run for a second term…

  • World News

    Asia News Today | Shares in Asia-Pacific decline & oil prices to surge

    Shares in Asia-Pacific have declined in today’s trade as oil prices continue to surge, with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war continuing to weigh heavily on investor sentiment. The Hang Seng led losses across the region, dropping more than 4% at one point before a small bounce back. Shares of HSBC plummeted 6%. China’s Shanghai composite shed 1.42% and the Shenzhen composite…

  • Thailand News

    Asia News Today | Japan to ease border restrictions & Malaysian travel bubbles

    Japan is looking to ease border restrictions allowing more people to arrive. While at the same time extending infection control measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus, officials say they are wanting to ease arrival procedures, especially for students. Japan’s PM Fumio Kishida says the number of people who can enter Japan will rise to 7,000 a day from…

  • Video

    Asia News Today | China asks Russia to ‘wait’ until finish of winter games, US advises against travel to Vietnam

    South Korean schools are being reopened at the same time the country is facing its worst surge of Covid infections with daily numbers surpassing 200,000 for the first time. Whilst schools were offered the option of still teaching online, most opened their gates yesterday for the new academic year. Schools were allowed to opt for online learning, but many opened…

  • World News

    Asia News Today | Vietnam’s vaccine passports & Hong Kong postpones elections

    In Vietnam, The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism has released guidelines for implementing the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccine passport pilot programme to welcome international tourists.Phase two will continue from now until the country’s full reopening of tourism activities via air, land, and sea routes, which is set for March 15. During this period, overseas Vietnamese and Vietnamese…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand Top Stories | PCR testing to stay, more restrictions? Lifeguards off duty | Dec 1

    Thailand WILL continue using the PCR method to screen arrivals for Covid-19 as a preventative measure to keep Omicron out. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will make a decision about whether Thailand will be forced back into any further restrictions. The annual funding game is on in Phuket for the island’s lifeguards… again. A new visa scheme approved, in principle, by the…

  • Thailand News

    Thailand News Today | Expat “dual pricing” at Thai hospital lawsuit; Patong bars raided | September 23

    Thailand News Today | Expat “dual pricing” at Thai hospital lawsuit; Patong bars raided|September 23 | Next week, Thai authorities will announce the outcome of the highly anticipated “dual pricing” case. As the government prepares to debate the future of the Emergency Decree a new legal amendment means some of its powers could remain. Police in Phuket have begun raiding…